Automobile body and frame straightening apparatus

ABSTRACT

An automobile body and frame straightening apparatus which includes a post removably fixed in a sleeve in the floor of a garage. Six such sleeves make up the total assembly, with similar posts being placed into the various sleeves, as is desired, around the perimeter of the automobile. Each post carries a collar and each collar carries a chain retainer. A chain is run from the retainer to a portion of the automobile and the retainer is hydraulically shifted on the post, moving it and its chain away from the post to thereby straighten any damaged portion of the automobile.

PATEN'TED JUN usn 3,581v 547 SHEET 1 BF 2 AUTOMOBILE BODY AND FRAMESTRAIGHTENING APPARATUS This invention relates to an apparatus forstraightening an automobile body and frame after these portions of theau' tomobile have been bent out of shape, usually in an automobileaccident.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide anautomobile body and frame straightening apparatus which can be quicklyand easily set up on the floor ofa garage in connection withpredetermined sites, whereupon the automobile mechanic can utilize theapparatus to efficiently straighten out bent portions of an automobile,and which thereafter may be disassembled and stored away so that thesame garage floor area may be used for other purposes, as for example inconnection with other automobile repairs.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automobilebody and frame straightening apparatus of the character described whichis especially light in weight and portable so that an automobilemechanic may-set up the entire apparatus, utilize it, and disassemble itwithout the necessity for assistance by other mechanics on the premises.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide anautomobile body and frame straightening apparatus of the characterdescribed which has predetermined sites on the garage floor for itslocation and erection, such sites being below the level of the garagefloor so as not to interfere with other garage operations when theapparatus is not in use.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide anautomobile body and frame straightening apparatus of the characterdescribed which yields great flexibility in the positions, includinglevels and angles, from which pressure may be applied to the automobile,and wherein the various components of the apparatus may be utilized aseither anchor points to hold the automobile fast or may be utilized aspulling points from which the automobile is straightened.

In general, and in accordance with the present invention, an automobilebody and frame straightening apparatus is provided which includes one ormore posts, each of these posts carrying other components of theapparatus. A number of cylindrical sleeves are embedded in the garagefloor, below the level thereof, these sites being situated generallyalong a boundary similar in shape but larger than the plan outline of anautomobile. Each of these sleeves is adapted to receive a post, and dueto the various positions of the sleeves, the posts can be located on anyside or end of the automobile. A collar slides upwardly and downwardlyalong each post and a screw fixes the collar to the post at any desiredlevel. Each collar carries a retainer and the retainer is shifted towardor away from the post by a hydraulically operated piston and cylinderarrangement. Each retainer is adapted to engage a pair of link chains.The retainer engages portions of these chains and the ends of the chainsare adapted to be attached to the portion of the automobile whichrequires straightening. After these chains have been attached to theretainer and to the area of the automobile which is to be straightened,the piston and cylinder arrangement is operated so that the retainer ismoved away from the automobile, and the retainer in turn exerts pressureon the chains which serve to straighten the bent or deformed portion ofthe automobile to the extent desired.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of a presentlypreferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance withthe present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the automotive body and framestraightening apparatus being utilized on an automobile;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partially elevational and partiallycross-sectional view of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the apparatus takensubstantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing in dot and dashlines the position to which the retainer is shifted in the straighteningprocess;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve embedded in the garagefloor for receiving the post and is taken along the line 4-4 ofFlG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the retainer taken substantially alongthe line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the chain-holding slot inthe retainer and is taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view showing the use of an aux iliary loopcarried by the collar;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view showing the use of an auxiliary loopcarried by the post;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the auxiliary collar takensubstantially along the line 9-9 of FIG 8; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the layout of the sites for the posts ofthe apparatus.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 inFIG. 1 denotes the automobile body and frame straightening apparatus ofthe present invention stationed on the floor 12 of a garage. As isevident from FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 is utilized to straighten out abent or deformed portion of an automobile 14, the automobile pictured insaid FIG. having a deformed front bumper and grill shown at 16. Theapparatus includes a post 18 which is elongated and cylindrical inconfiguration, and is hollow. The post 18 may be deemed the primarycomponent of the apparatus since it carries the majority of the othercomponents of the apparatus.

A number of sites 20 are prepared to receive the posts 18 and, as bestseen in FIG. 10, these sites are desirably six in number and lie along aboundary line having the general configuration of the plan outline of anautomobile but larger than said outline, so that the sites are situatedadjacent to but outwardly from the sides and the ends of the automobile.FIG. 10 shows that a desirable layout for the sites would be one or moreon each side of the automobile, two at the front of the automobile, andtwo at the rear of the automobile, with each of the latter four sitesbeing near the corners of the automobile. It will be appreciated thatall of the apparatus components which makeup the sites 20 are below thelevel of the garage floor 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) so that when theapparatus is not in use, the sites do not interfere with the use of thegarage floor for other purposes. If desired, a cover 22 can be placedover each of the sites (see site 20a) so that the floor at the area ofthe site is flat and is without a depression.

In each of the sites 20, a sleeve 24 is embedded, desirably in cement,in the garage floor. Each sleeve is cylindrical and hollow, and eachsleeve 24 is oriented so that its axis is vertical. Two or more tabs 26are fixed to the external surface of each sleeve 24, protrude outwardlytherefrom, and serve to anchor the sleeve 24 within the site. A loop 28is also fixed to each sleeve 24 at an upper portion thereof but belowthe surface of the garage floor 12. It will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4that this loop 28 is situated within a depression 30 at the site 20 andis provided so that a chain may be hooked to the loop (see FIGS. 1 and4).

As has been stated, the post 18 is cylindrical and has a diameter suchthat its lowermost end can he slipped into the sleeve 24 so that thepostremains in place in the sleeve and is held by the sleeve 24 upright withits axis vertical. It will be apparent that any number of posts can beprovided and that of the six sites any number can have posts placedtherein at any one time. The number of posts utilized and theirpositions depend upon the type of body or frame deformity and the mannerin which the automobile mechanic desires to operate on these damagedportions.

A collar 32 is carried by each post 18 and the collar is of tubularconstruction and'can slide upwardly and downwardly on the post.Mechanical means is provided to fix the collar 32 at any desired levelon the post 18 and desirably said means comprises an elongated screw 34which is threaded into a nut 36 fixed to the external surface of thecollar 32. The screw 34 carries a handle 38 at its outer end and uponrotation the inner end of the screw will abut the outer surface of thepost 18 so as to hold the collar 32 in place. The collar carries aretainer 40 and hydraulically operated means is provided to drive theretainer away from or closer to the post 18. The hydraulically operatedmeans includes a cylinder 42 within which a piston 44 is slidablyengaged. The end of the piston 44 distant from the cylinder 42 isthreaded into a female receptacle 46 fixed to the collar 32. Afoot-operated hydraulic pump 48 is linked to the chamber of thepiston-cylinder arrangement by a hydraulic line 50, and it will beobvious that when the pump 48 is operated the cylinder 42 will move awayfrom the stationary piston 44 in the direction indicated by the arrow Ain FIG. 3 to the clot and dash position of the cylinder in the same FIG.The cylinder 42 and the retainer 40 move radially with respect to thepost 18. The piston and cylinder arrangement, its connection to the pump48, and the pump 48 itself, are all commercially available units andneed not be described further.

The retainer 40 is best seen in FIGS. 3,5 and 6 and includes a centralhub 52 and a pair of diametrically opposed horizontally extending arms54, 56 which are mirror images of one another. The hub 52 is fixed tothe external surface of the radially innermost end of the cylinder 42 sothat the retainer 40 moves by virtue of movement of the cylinder 42. Thearms 54, 56 of the retainer 40 are configured to engage any elongatedflexible member such as a heavy line made either of fiber or of metal,desirably a link chain 58. The central portion of each arm has anopening 60 formed therein which is of dimensions larger than the side toside and top to bottom extend of the links of the chain (see FIG. sothat the chain can be pulled freely through this opening 60.

A pair of slots 62 are also formed in each arm 54, 56, with each slotleading off from a different side of the opening 60. Each of the slots'62 is defined by an upper tapered shoulder 64 and a lower taperedshoulder 66 and, as will be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, each slot ishorizontal in orientation and is wide enough in its vertical dimensionto pass a chain link which is horizontal in orientation, that is, hasits opposed sides on a horizontal level, but is not wide enough to passa chain link which is vertical in orientation, that is, has one of itssides vertical over its other side. It will be appreciated that sincethe chain is made up of links which can be turned to a vertical orhorizontal orientation, the chain can be engaged to the arms 54, 56 atessentially any point along its length. To so engage a chain, the chainis first passed through the central opening 60 in an arm and then isslid to the right or to the left into either one of the slots 62, Theposition of the chain within the opening 60 is indicated by the dot anddash lines in FIG. 5 and the position of thelinks in the slot 62 isshown in solid lines in the same FlG. As best seen in FIG. 6, theforward and rearward faces 68 of the shoulders 64, 66 are concave tomatch the configuration of the adjacent ends of the chain links.

The utilization of the automobile body and frame straightening apparatuswill be apparent from the foregoing description. A post 18 is placedinto any one of the sleeves 24 in one of the sites 20, it beingunderstood that two or more posts may be utilized adjacent any desiredside or end of the automobile 14. The collar 32 is fixed to the post 18at any desired level, this often being in the same horizontal plane asthe damaged portion of the automobile. Of course, if it is desired topull the damaged portion of the automobile at an upward or downwardangle, this can be achieved by appropriate adjustment of the position ofthe collar 32. The collar 32 is oriented on the post 18 so that thereceptacle 46 points away from it either in alignment with the long axisof the automobile or any desired angular variation thereof. Then, achain 58, or two chains if so desired, are engaged to the retainer 40 bybeing passed first through the opening 60 and then into one of the slots62. The other end of the chain, the end distant from the post 18, isattached to the automobile adjacent the deformed portion thereof, andthe chain usually carries a hook 70 at said distant end for this purpose(see HO. 2).

Then, the pump 48 is operated so that hydraulic fluid is forced into thechamber of the piston-cylinder arrangement, thereby driving the cylinder42 and thus the retainer 40 radially away from the post 18. Thecontinued application of this pressure initially makes the chain 58 tautand then pulls the chain away from the automobile to straighten out anydeformed areas of the automobile. Previous to this straighteningoperation, the other end of the automobile has been anchored in place,that is, has been chained to one of the sites 20 by passing a chain fromthe rear end of the automobile and hooking it about the loop 28. Thisanchorage is shown in both FIGS. 1 and 4.

It will thus be seen that the posts can be set up by a mechanic withoutthe aid of helpers quickly and easily, and the setup for the realignmentof the automobile is readily accomplished. When the post and itscomponents are disassembled and stored, the space formerly occupied bythese components may be utilized for other purposes such as automobileengine repair.

In FIG. 7, an auxiliary loop 72 is shown fixed to the collar 32 and ahand-operable mechanical jack 74 of conventional design runs from theloop 72 to a defomied portion of an automobile 14. It will beappreciated that the loop 72 provides the facility for a hand-operatedalignment apparatus which may be used independently of the hydraulicallyoperated apparatus previously described, or may be used in conjunctiontherewith.

ln FlGS. 8 and 9, an auxiliary collar 76 is shown in use on the post 18,and comprises a ring 78 which is cylindrical in configuration and whichslips over the post. A pair of strong magnets 80 are connected by hinges82 to the ring 78 and are pivoted for movement between a position incontact with the exterior surface of the post 18 and a position out ofcontact with and distant from said post. The auxiliary collar 76 canthus be slipped over the post 18 as necessary and is held in positionagainst dropping by simply swinging both magnets 80 against the metalpost 18. The auxiliary collar 76 also carries a loop 84. When theauxiliary collar 76 is slipped over the post to its desired position,and is held at any desired height by the magnets 80, then ahand-operable mechanical jack 74 is utilized with the loop 84 to work onany deformed portion of an adjacent automobile 14. It will again beappreciated that the auxiliary collar 76 may be utilized on the samepost as carries the collar 32 or may be used separately on a differentpost 18. By use of the loop 72 onthe collar 32 and by the use of theauxiliary collar 86, it will be appreciated that the mechanic has a widelatitude of components which he may utilize in the straighteningprocess.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

What I claim is:

1. An automobile straightening apparatus system adapted to be assembledto stand on a garage floor and to be disassembled when not in use, thesystem including an erect post of substantially uniform externalcircular cross section, means for removably fixing the post in thegarage floor at any one of a number of spaced locations, said meanscomprising at least two sleeves fixed in the floor at spaced locationscompletely below the level of the floor, the axis of each sleeve beingvertical, each sleeve being of matching internal circular cross sectionso that the lowermost end of the post can he slipped into and pulledfrom any one sleeve, each sleeve having at least one anchor attached toits external surface and adapted to be embedded in the garage floor, andcarrying a loop on its external surface completely below the level ofthe garage floor, and including a lid for covering each sleeve when notin use, said lids being carried by the sleeves at floor level, a collarof circular internal cross section slidable along and rotatable aboutwhereby when the retainer is shifted, the flexible member appliespressure to the area on the automobile to which the member is fixed, anda second elongated flexible member comprising a chain adapted to befixed to another area on the automobile and fixed to the loop of anyother sleeve.

1. An automobile straightening apparatus system adapted to be assembledto stand on a garage floor and to be disassembled when not in use, thesystem including an erect post of substantially uniform externalcircular cross section, means for removably fixing the post in thegarage floor at any one of a number of spaced locations, said meanscomprising at least two sleeves fixed in the floor at spaced locationscompletely below the level of the floor, the axis of each sleeve beingvertical, each sleeve being of matching internal circular cross sectionso that the lowermost end of the post can be slipped into and pulledfrom any one sleeve, each sleeve having at least one anchor attached toits external surface and adapted to be embedded in the garage floor, andcarrying a loop on its external surface completely below the level ofthe garage floor, and including a lid for covering each sleeve when notin use, said lids being carried by the sleeves at floor level, a collarof circular internal cross section slidable along and rotatable aboutthe post, bolt means for securing the collar to the post at any levelalong and at any angle with respect to the post, a retainer carried bythe post, hydraulically operated piston and cylinder means for shiftingthe retainer toward and away from the post, a first elongated flexiblemember comprising a chain fixed to the retainer at one portion thereofand adapted to be fixed to an area on an automobile at another anddistant portion, whereby when the retainer is shifted, the flexiblemember applies pressure to the area on the automobile to which themember is fixed, and a second elongated flexible member comprising achain adapted to be fixed to another area on the automobile and fixed tothe loop of any other sleeve.